Nebraska men’s basketball closed 2022 with a runaway victory over rival Iowa.
The Huskers (8-6, 1-2 Big Ten) got up early and stayed there for the 66-50 win over a reeling Hawkeyes (8-5, 0-2 Big Ten) squad.
“That was a lot of fun,” coach Fred Hoiberg said. “They came in and instilled a defensive will and never took their foot off the gas.”
NU took advantage of pace to begin the game. After an Iowa three-pointer, the Huskers took off for a 29-5 run.
Once Iowa coach Fran McCaffery took a timeout, the Hawkeyes adjusted on both ends of the floor. On offense, Iowa hit back-to-back triples. On defense, the visitors took away the transition game of Nebraska by brining some full court and zone pressure.
The Huskers made just two shots over the final five minutes of the half.
To start the second-half, Nebraska put the foot back on the gas. The Huskers pulled away for a 24-point difference with 12:04 to go in the game.
But then the cold outside made its way to the court.
Iowa went on a 6-0 run over the next seven minutes. Emmanuel Bandoumel got a layup to sop the run, but the next Husker basket came with 2:04 to go.
Nebraska shot 2-of-18 in the final 12 minutes and still won by 16 points.
“This should be a good confidence builder for our team to know we can get over the hump and get a win,” Hoiberg said.
Iowa shot 26 percent for the game, including 7-of-28 from 3. Nebraska made 40.7 percent of their shots, going 8-of-22 from deep.
Five Huskers scored in double-figures, led by 14 points from Juwan Gary. The junior forward added nine rebounds.
CJ Wilcher led the shooting from deep with a trio of triples, finishing with 13 points.
Sam Griesel notched a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, adding five assists.
Derrick Walker and Bandoumel scored 10 points each.
“We gotta get over this one quickly,” Hoiberg said. “Its good to get this one and now understand what the formula is and what it takes to win a Big Ten game.”
The most league wins for Nebraska in the Hoiberg era came last season with four. The Huskers have 17 more conference games, with a good chance to push that league win percentage closer to .500.
Nebraska begins 2023 with a pair of road games, at Michigan State (Jan. 3) and at Minnesota (Jan. 7).